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One million people a week cannot get an appointment with a GP and the current waiting times are the longest on record. With the number of people working excessive hours rising by 15% in recent years, it’s understandable that many employees feel they simply don’t have the time to go to the doctors.
When your employees are able to get an appointment, they may then have to take time off work to attend. In fact, in a survey by the Telegraph in 2017, 24% admitted the most likely reason for having to take a day off work would be for a doctor’s appointment.
A 24/7 solution Employers could help alleviate this issue by providing access to a 24/7 GP helpline. In a 2016 CIPD report looking into absence management, only 7% of organisations surveyed provided employees with access to private GP services, yet offering such a service could be very valuable to employees.
Many services also support 24/7 helplines with e-consultations, which provide employees access to face-to-face video consultations during normal surgery hours (usually 8.30am to 6.30pm). Given that we live in an age where many people are comfortable using video technology to communicate, it makes sense that it could be useful in the world of wellbeing.
So how do online doctor and GP helplines work? Online doctor and GP helplines provide employees with convenient access to a GP, 24/7, from anywhere in the world. This means that employees...